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6 Dec 2015

Chukka boots from Carmina Shoemaker; MTO via Skoaktiebolaget

My new Chukka boots from Carmina Shoemaker are made on the sleek Simpson last in a beautiful burnished museum calf; they are part of a group MTO by Swedish Skoaktiebolaget ordered 3½ months ago. The boots are Goodyear welted and of really good quality.

Carmina is made in the Spanish island Mallorca; and from reputation a great shoemaker. The Albaladejo family has been making shoes for almost 150 years and more companies are currently run by family members; José Albaladejo founded Camina in 1997.
The Simpson last is a slightly narrower last which suits my feet perfectly. The burnishing looks great, and the craftmanship in general is really good. The half rubbersole (called "Tomir") is perfect for the boots; suitable for Autumn/Winther and still fits the sleek design (Dainite soles would have looked too crude).
I ordered my boots with corresponding shoe trees from Skoaktiebolaget; a quite appealing design, made in North Hampton.
Carmina does a lot in group Made To Order and you really have the opportunity to get beautiful designs made. I am looking forward to if they soon will open for individual MTO, too.

The sleek, slightly elongated Simpson last

The Carmina Chukkas are not exactly Chukkas as the five eyelet design does not fit the 2-3 lacing eyelet defintion of Chukkas; more like a hybrid between a Chukka and a regular Derby.

Chukka is a playing period in Polo and the name of the boot design might be derived from the boots worn by the off-duty Polo players. A design originating in India and subsequently finding it's way to Europe.

One of the first advocates of the Chukka boot is - no surprise - the Prince of Wales when he wore them on a tour to USA in 1924.
The Chukkas are perfect for my tweed suits (like the brown houndstooth suit), but also for a more informal touch to my 1955 POW flannel suit.